Tide comeback falls just short...
Alt fact version - It as embarrassing to watch

 

Help is on the way

  There are no words to describe how poorly Alabama played against Texas A&M. Somehow, in the middle of near the end of that apocalypse, the Tide still had a final chance to tie the game in the waning moments. An airball three summed up the play of Bama. Poor play at times is understood. This type play is unacceptable to Tide fans. I hope the Tide coaching staff understands that. This was a game that I thought our staff clearly had no idea in how to attack a zone. In the NBA coaches don´t have to worry about such things. We showed a few flashes in the second half bring up a big man near the elbow to forced Aggie defenders to make a choice. That at least got the offense moving some. But when you are down 14 in the second half it´s the deep hole theory again, and once again,  in the end the Tide couldn´t pull it off. 


     Despite the poor play, what ultimately beat Alabama was the most one-sided officiating I have ever witnessed. I am a SEC fan so there are lots of games to choose from. TAM shot 36 free throws and the Crimson shot 9. Three TAM players each shot more than the entire Bama team. The only thing that surprised me was that Johnson just sat there. I thought he might at least get a technical to help stem the Tide of poor officiating. He didn't. In all honesty, coach Johnson looked stunned at what he saw. When you outscore your opposition by 16 in field goals you should win. I'm going to give Avery Johnson the same advice I once gave Anthony Grant. You have to get in the faces of the officials from time to time to let them know you care.  By them, I mean your team. By them,  I mean the officials and the SEC office..

      I'm sure Bama fans were not stunned, but are angry at what they saw. I had hoped that 'Bama might come out focused and fired up. Someone dropped quaaludes in the Gatorade. Bama got off to a good start. Riley Smith made a three. Just prior to that he had penetrated the TAM zone for a nice little turnaround. And then it slowed down, and then offense when dead. They weren't the walking dead, that would give too much credit to the offense the Tide chose to employ. It was something more profound. For the second straight season, the Tide has tanked what was a chance to end with a decent season. 

     The fans of Alabama have a tenuous grasp on basketball at best. But they can see a lack of effort and confusion because the are not complete idiots. Sure the fan has unrealistic visions of this team finding a way into the NCAA Tournament. Instead, they are finding a team that can't find it's way to the court from the locker room. So here is my critic: Put some people on the floor who act like they know what they are doing. And for heaven's sake, shoot the damn basketball. I think the modern version of the four corners has shown it won't work. I watched Gonzaga score more points in the first five minutes of their game last night that we did in first half of ours. 

Every Alabama fan wants Avery Johnson to succeed. Losing isn't a synonym for ineptness. I'm sure that Avery is as frustrated with his team as we are. Here is the answer to the problem - whatever you are trying to do isn't working. Try something else.  Win one more game and we might go the NIT. Maybe they will, but Iḿ not sure. I doubt we'd be a home team now, but we can't win at home anyway. We are who we are. I think we all understand that. This is the third recent game this has happened. Coach, I think the staff needs to understand that defenses the offense. Iḿ just sayin...But maybe the talent level is so bad it doesn matter. You can´t deny that A&M is a pretty bad team, and that makes it even worse.

QUESTIONS ABOUND FOR BAMA BASKETBALL...
Time for fans to act like true fans...

 

One thing I´ve learned over the decades of writing about Bama hoops it is much easier to do when the team is winning. The last few seasons have been a misery in a lot of ways given that standard.  The truth is that from a win-loss record Johnson isn´t doing much better than Anthony Grant. Thatś just a fact. Hereś a few things to remember:

1. Alabama wasn´t scoring under Grant and don´t score much now do they?
2. Both coaches hang their wins on great defense and a hot offensive night is an unexpected bonus.
3. Some Alabama basketball fans are unable to put things into proper perspective. One night they love the team and the next game they are ready to hang someone.
4. I don´t think a lot of Alabama really understand much about basketball. I am happy to say some know a great deal about hoops. 
5. A lot of Alabama fans don´t love Alabama basketball. A lot openly admit they don´t care about basketball. That doesn´t stop them from criticizing the basketball program. Some live to write bad things in my opinion.This hurts the program in a major way. If you start a post off with, ¨I don´t really keep up with basketball, but...¨ Do us all favor and quit typing. 
6. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Hatred toward the team is not an opinion. It is a mental problem. It also makes the players job that much harder. 
7. We tend for forget the positive things past coaches have done. Mark Gottfried needed to be fired but he did a good job in a lot of ways.
8. Anthony Grant had the unfortunate job of having to reign in some personality problems with his team. Team leaders got suspended, and Grant had the character to do what was needed. He may not have left Johnson a lot to work with but he left a team full of kids that play hard and rarely cause problems. Kudos to both coaches for putting trouble makers on the pine to whine as opposed to doing so on the floor.
9. I found Anthony Grant to be one of the most genuine human beings I have ever known. Granted, he would not win a lot of extroversion awards. He was a great X and Oś coach. I wish we had him on our staff under Johnson. 
10. Coach Johnson came into the program with no college experience but went to work from day one. I mean that literally and not figuratively. Ask John Petty if that was true.  

    If you think coaching at a predominate football school as head basketball coach is as easy,  think again. Ask the Kentucky football coach how that works? Avery Johnson is not just trying to have a better team. He is trying to build a culture unique to Alabama hoop. Alabama or LSU have historically had the second best basketball program in the SEC. Johnson really believes in the power of positive thinking. He might tell us that if you can imagine it you can do it. 

     I think it is time for all of us to acknowledge some things: We love Alabama basketball but we are not patient and act like petulant children. Each of those things is becoming counter-productive. It is time for all us to quick expecting more than any coach or our current players can do. I am very happy with the progress our program is making right now. We are lucky to have found the ¨little general¨ to be our coach. He is not as lucky to have some impatient fans. The season is not over. The fat lady has not yet sung. Letś wait to find out how the season ends before criticizing our team. Fans can criticize or they can critic. The former is fine and latter is not necessary for this coach given his very limited time at the Capstone.

 

   And for those of you who criticize Key and Ingram, what the heck do you want? You want two freshmen to play like seniors.  That is not going to happen, yet. Look at the progress Davis and Hall have made this season. Look at maturity of Norris. His shot has left him like an unfaithful spouse. He puts on that hard hat and contributes in so many meaningful ways. Remember we lost Nick King. We also have lost Shannon Hale which is a real head scratcher. 

 

Things are getting better. We are very competitive with limited talent. How good can we be with better talent? We will find out next season with a recruiting class that has been ranked as high as #4 by some publications. We are what we are. Thatś all the team can be. As fans, we can help them a lot more than we do. Iḿ not pointing fingers but our negative fans know who they are. Ignore them. Don´t reward their petty trolls. For the remainder of the season,  I hope we let our coach and players know who much we appreciate their effort. I was looking back at my prognostication for the year. I said predicted we wouldn't win as many games as last season. 

  You don´t get many single seasons like Retin gave us last year. Some seniors step across that mental line and become stars. This team drives me crazy. If you love thrill rides at Six Flags you will love this team. Roll Tide my Crimson brothers and sisters. I will now step off my soap box.

JUST WIN BABY...
Al Davis Oakland Raiders


     Avery Johnson needs no grand plan for the NCAA. He just needs to win every game played. When you walk on the razorś edge you have no room for error. Do I think Bama makes it to the NCAA Tournament? Of course, like you guys, I am hopeful. In reality, it is going to be tough. Except for Tennessee,  I see no team where a win would change their RPI for the better. A lot can happen in the next couple of weeks. I think the Tideś best chance for an improved RPI falls to other teams beating teams that will trickle down. A good example is Clemson playing Virginia Tech tonight. A Clemson win would move the Tideś RPI in the 60ś. Alabama needs to move into solo fourth in the SEC, and hope every team that Alabama beats wins a bunch of games.

6-7

BAMA 90 - LSU 72
Tide's Red Hot Start is fatal...
    

Bola was the man under the boards.

  
    I picked the Tide to beat hapless LSU by 12. It was as lot more than that. When the Tide put up 51 by halftime you had to wonder 100 was possible. The Tide didn´t quite get that magic number but it was only because Bamaś lead was so big LSU chose not to foul late. No doubt, the first half was the best Alabama has played this season. The second half wasn´t bad either. Around the ten minute mark of half two, the Tide started to run the clock some. All in all, the Crimson may have given notice to the SEC they will not go quietly into the good night. In fact, the Tide may have let the conference know that they have started to peak at just the right time.I don´t know if the Tide can put together a streak to win the SEC, but I know I´d sure the heck not want to play them. 

   

Johnson was proud of his team

 The Tide shot 54% from the floor,  including 10 shots from downtown. When you make 10-25 you are going to win some games. Some of those might even be huge ones. If the Tide is going to have any chance at all to make the NCAA Tournament they need to make it to the final of SEC and better beat South Carolina, Kentucky, or Florida on the way. A win over Arkansas wouldn´t hurt. 

    This win is going to open up some serious talk about Alabama being close to making the NCAA field. Several bubble teams lost this Saturday. Thatś good for Bama. For the Tide the mantra is simple - just win. The Tide has a chance to win twenty games this season. Tennessee and Ole Miss, both of whom are in the hunt for a spot in field of 64 are on the Tide schedule. A win over Tennessee would be very helpful. 

    Player of the Game? So many Tide players contributed. You could select Riley Norris, Armond Davis, or Dazon Ingram, but Iḿ going with Bola Olaniyan. He had a double-double including 16 rebounds. 7 of those were of the offensive variety. He even showed a little offensive flash that is bound to give opposing coaches a little more concern. Bola plays in the paint against much bigger players, but he has the knack of locating the correct position to get boards. He is just a hard-working blue collar worker who does his job. When Bola and Norris are on the floor the effort is going to blood, sweat, and tears.

Johnson suspends Hale for the regular season...

Hale suspended...

     Avery Johnson has had enough of Shannon Hale. No, I have no information about what Hale did or didn´t do. Well, actually I do and you do as well. Hale hasn´t been a part of this team since he didn´t start game number two. He has contributed essentially nothing since the St. Louis game. Never has someone who has so much talent contribute so little for the Tide. All that Johnson would say was that ¨for the regular season he will not be back¨. Johnson hinted the suspension was for detrimental conduct. ¨We will re-evaluate his situation on March fifth.¨ 

     For a senior, his behavior and attitude have been unacceptable. One way or the other Hale has been a disappoint to himself and has a Crimson Tide member. Hale has never seen a shot he wouldn´t take or an officiating call against him he didn´t hate. His mental and physical absence has hurt the Tide. Johnson made the right call on this one. 

Tide needs a homecourt win over LSU...

Alabama goes for win #16...

 

Nerves of steel in Columbia

  The Crimson Tide laces them up for victory # 16. Game time is 2:30 CST. This is a must win game. The Tide has six games left in the remaining regular season. I think the Tide can win all six of these games. None of these games looks unwinnable. Can the Crimson Tide buckle up and pull off a double hat trick? Letś play the ¨what if¨game for a moment. What if the Tide actually won all six of these games? Bamaś record would be a respectable 20-10. That is not NCAA worthy in all likelihood, but, and this is a big but, what happens if the Tide wins a couple of games in the SEC Tournament? That moves the Tide to 22-11. Hmm...

 

His last trip to Tuscaloosa

It is not outside the realm of possibility that the Tide might squeeze in the field of 64 if one of those wins is over Florida or Kentucky. If Bama ran the table in the regular season they would be a three seed if they do that, and someone beats Arkansas. Then someone in the Selection Committee is going to say how do we not take the Razorbacks over the Tide? Maybe the real question for us to answer is whether there is a chance in the world the Selection Committee would take four SEC teams. The powers to be in basketball can overlook the SEC when their football counterparts can´t disregard the conference.  I don´t think that Alabama will make it to the dance, but at least the fans would be pumped up about it. I think it is highly more likely the phone will ring and it will be the NIT on the line. A great finish will guarantee the Tide a home court advantage until they would have to play in New York.

Jr. can hoop it up can´t he?

    None of that is going to happen unless the coaches can figure out a way to score. The good new is that none of the remaining teams are defensive wonders. I think the Tide has proven that they can hold a score down with their defense. Can they hold the score down enough to score a bunch of points?  I know it will help if Dazon Ingram can knock down some threes. That would take some pressure of Riley Norris who is still our best outside shooter. His shots don´t come easy.  Bravo for Riley for developing a good inside the paint game. Itś hard not to argue that Norris hasn´t been our best overall player.  Key and Ingram are coming on at the right time. Arḿon Davis is getting more time and he is a threat to score.  Nick King is going to apply for a sixth year, and I think he has a great chance to qualify for one if he wants to stick around.  More than any singular thing that has hurt the offense is the total failure of Shanon Hale to play up to his potential. Maybe the senior will look at the schedule and see it is now or never.  If Hale plays to his potential he can give us 15 a game and a few boards. Johnson has been playing Bola more to keep the Tide winning the rebound wars. He can shoot very well, and honestly, he doesn´t have the hops, but he has the knack of knowing where missed shots are going. He is tough. He is a junkyard dog and every team needs a guy just like him. 

Bama by 12

   The \\\

   

´Bama pulls out a key win over Tigers...

 

 The only thing missing in the Missouri vs. Alabama game were a couple of peach baskets nailed to the walls of the gym. I thought that when either team scored in the first half they refs might have a jump ball at center court like the old days. The game was about as bad as a game could be, wasn´t it? It was like going for a root canal, or hearing your wife say ´we need to talk.´ The game was excruciating to view. The Tide pulled out the win 57-54 to win their fifth road game of the SEC season. The Tide moves to 15-10, and the what if talks are breaking out all over. Can the Tide make it to the NCAA? Yes, and theyĺl need to win the SEC Tournament to make the trip. That is the only path to the dance for the Crimson and White this season. What Bama can do is win most of their remaining games and then win a couple in the SEC Tournament to get a one or two seed in the NIT. Just making it to the NIT would be quite an accomplishment for our gang who can´t shoot straight.

     You can criticize Dazon Ingram all you want. Heś not polished or the best point guard Alabama has ever played. Heś only a freshman but in the second half he played like a senior leader might play. His two big three-point baskets brought the Tide back from a double-digit second-half deficit to winning. Alabama had strong efforts from Riley Norris who got the Tide offense moving in the second half. Freshman Braxton Key and Riley had nine each. You can´t minimize the 14 big boards that grad transfer Bola Olanlyan fought like the dickens to get. I know that Ingram is going to get the kudos for his shooting, but Bola secured the win with his tip to Donta Hall after Braxton Key missed a free throw that was the play of the game. Hall threw the ball out to Ingram who calmly knocked down two free throws to give Bama the win. 

     We know that the Tideś road wins haven´t been against the best teams in the SEC. TiderInsider Poster Don Juan that those wins have been against cellar dwellers. I can remember CMG losing those games by 20. I heard John Wooden speak once at a meeting and he said the first thing you do to become a good team is win some road games you hadn´t won the year before. The Wizard of Westwood is right about that. Now the question becomes - how much more can the Tide win this season. I think they have four winnable games. The Tide has a chance to win twenty games this season if a few shots start to fall. The Tideś defense is strong, but you won´t win many games scoring 18 points in a half. 

     The Tide outrebounded the Tigers. Alabama made 2/3 of their free throws which aren't great but it beat the last game. The Tide also kept the turnovers down. In the second half, the Tide seemed downright stingy with the ball. The Tide got more than half the fifty-fifty balls, but give Missouri credit for the work in that area as well. The thing that stands out in my mind about the game, other than such horrible offense, was the officiating. It was without a doubt the worst officiated game. The calls were equally bad against each team. The officials made one call that gave the ball to Alabama which was a ridiculous call. To add insult to injury, Ingram promptly drained a three at the other end. But Bama was victims of two vicious open floor tackles against Hall and Key. The officiating crew made so many odd calls it affected the flow of the game. That is the last thing officials should do. Some of their decisions were so bad the players both teams laughed. 

    So the next thing the Tide must do is find a way to score some points. The loss of King and the lackluster play of Hale has severely limited the Tideś options. If the Tide could average 73 points a game they could win at least five more games. You look at the remaining opponents and can realistically see wins. You can also see some silly losses. If this team wins 20 games Johnson deserves to be Coach of the Year in the SEC. Anything is possible. I saw Jimmie Taylor find pure nylon on two free throws. Taylor seems ready to end his career at Bama on a high note. Let´s hope he does.

Tide faces big road game with Mizzou...
Bama opens at 5 point favorite...

 When Missouri was admitted to the SEC most fans thought the Tigers would bring some strength in the form of hoops. It hasn´t happened that way. The Tigers have fallen on some through times in basketball. They still are feeling the stinging effects of sanctions. Fan support has remained strong, however. Expect a sell out crowd to be on hand for the 7:30 tip. Johnson scoffs at the Tide being overconfident for the game. After watching the first 34 minutes of the Kentucky game should put any rest to that thought. The Tide turned over the ball 19 times, with 7 of those being unforced. I won´t mention that the Tideś free throw shooting was horrible. It was worse than horrible. Those two areas of the game caused the Tide to beat a Kentucky team was not playing very well. A win over Kentucky would have almost given the Tide a lock for the NIT. Now the Crimson needs to go on the road to knock off the Tigers. If the Tide is as sloppy as they were against the Wildcats, they will lose. If they make 30% of their free throws they will lose. Bama needs to play their best basketball of the season. The Tigers have some confidence and beating Alabama would be a big win for a team who has seen few wins this season. It would be a big win for Missouri but an even bigger win for the Tide. A win keeps the Tide in no worse than a fourth-place position in the league. Depending on tie breakers, a fourth-place finish might keep Bama from playing the first night of the SEC tournament.

 The  Tigers just knocked off Vandy by twenty. The score is misleading. I wasn´t that close.  Will the Tide win? I think this is going to be a close ball game. In order for Missouri to win the Tide needs to help make that happen. Iḿ saying the Tide has cleaned up their act since the Kentucky game and will beat the Tigers by 3.

How does Bama beat Missouri?
1. The Tide needs to control the boards and get multiple second-chance baskets from offensive rebounds.

2. Alabama needs to keep the turnovers under 12. That is an attainable number that they should be able to secure. Missouri doesn´t press that often.

3. The Elephant in the room - Bama needs to play in the paint and must make 70% of their free throws. That number is not too much to ask for a Division 1 team. The Tide has put extra practice at the line and from reports seem to be getting improvement.

4.  The Tide need to keep Dazon Ingram in the game for the majority of each half. Ingram is going to cause some major match-up problems if they man him with their starting point guard.  Same for Braxton Key.  The Tigers have a leaky interior and Key has the old school game to exploit that his penetration. The same can be said for Riley Norris.

5. The Tigers shut down Vandyś outside game with a two-three zone and what appeared to be a match-up zone at times.  Missouri is going to try to play the Tide man to man. Bama size can be crucial. It wouldn´t surprise me if the Tide played two bigs on the floor at times.

6. Whatever Mojo that Johnson uses for road games needs to be used to get the team ready for this key road game. Columbia can be loud and the Tiger fans love their hoops. The configuration of the seating makes it a hard place to play.

7.  Shoot 45% overall, and as close to 40% from downtown.

    

Bama comeback falls short...


     Alabama basketball is what it is. It is a program currently mired in mediocrity and sitting squarely on the fence. Fall one direction and we are horrible. Fall the other and we are better than decent. Itś where we are, and where we will be until we can make some three-point shots, quit throwing the ball away, and dare we talk about our ineptness in free throw shooting? Itś just who we are. Itś who we were under Anthony Grant. We play good defense out of necessity to avoid embarrassment. We are a good defensive team.

    Ironically, we have some good shooters. Riley Norris was an assassin in high school, Armond Davis was a highly rated JUCO shooter. Corbin Collins was over 40% his last year at Morehead. Maybe Alabama is the Land of the Lost for great shooters? All three of our best shooters seem to be in a perpetual slump. Basketball is a simple game. It is about four things: shooting, rebounding, securing the ball, and playing defense. Shooting and securing the ball involves skill. Rebounding and defense are more about self-discipline. In the old days,  we called that guts and effort. This team has plenty of guts and effort, enough to win some games they shouldn't win and agonizingly close to games they lose. When the Tide put together a rare night of the good shooting and keep the turnovers down they might beat anyone. It is more likely than not the agonizing games are in store for all of us.  That's where we are. All the effort and great coaching aren't going to chang anything. It seems to me that this team has found its identity and we are who are.

Guts and effort are how Riley Norris plays the game. Even when his shots aren´t falling. He is Alabamaś best all around player. Give me five Riley Norris and you have a good team. He is fundamentally a good player. He is rarely wild and out of control. He knows his limitations. He always draws the toughest defensive assignment. Riley is an aggressive rebounder and hits the hardwood for a loose ball. He as also started to take the ball to the basket, post up players down low, and all he needs is someone else to make a few outside baskets to take some pressure off him as the designated shooter. 

TIDE GETS HUGE WIN OVER USC IN FOUR OTs

You can tell your grandchildren you were able to watch one of those game that defies description. The Tide won a road game against the top team in the SEC in a four-overtime affair Final Score was 90-86 and the back story was that it was one of the most magnificent wins in Tide history. Alabama has won a lot of big games through the years, but have they ever won more that mean more for a team? As someone said, "the honeymoon for Johnson is over." Maybe so, the Coach got a signature win with a single player whose name might not even draw an Honorable Mention at season's end. More remarkable was that the Tide did so with three starters on the bench for most of the overtime periods. How long was the game? You could cook the Thanksgiving turkey. In his postgame interview, the coach said, "All I got for you is Roll Tide." That about sums it up. Pluck and grit? Yes, sir. The Tide lost the momentum and refused to be buried before 18,000 stunned Carolina fans.Will the Tide make it to the NCAA Tournament? It isn't likely. But, oh my, does the future look bright for the program.

      File this win under courage and heart. Ironically, it was players that the fans have complained who contributed the least, that contributed the most. Avery Johnson, jr., Armond Davis, and Riley Norris all played key roles in winning this game. You can’t overlook Corbin Collins either. In fact, it is hard to overlook anyone who played for the Tide last night.

      Did the Tide play well? For a half, they were as good as any game they have played. They held the Gamecocks, who were leading the SEC Standings into a land of offensive ineptness. South Carolina missed jump shots, bunnies, and three-pointers because Bama contested everything and anything the Gamecocks tried. Do you know how hard it is to hold the leader of the SEC to only 16 points in a half? Frank Martin, the Carolina Coach, maintained that he was responsible for working his players too hard in the two days prior to the game. You have to admire a coach that will throw himself under the bus for his team. Only that wasn’t the truth. The Tide wore down the Gamecocks Dentyne defense up front and personal.

The SEC Officials allowed Sidarius Thornwell to shoot 33 free throws. If he moved he was fouled. I understand the concept behind giving the offensive player a lot of leeways. I don't understand giving a player a free pass to the line everytime he moves toward the basket. In the end, Thornwell had 44 points and 21 rebounds. To Alabama's credit, they shut down every other Carolina player considering the length of the contest. Wimp Sanderson had a personal belief that you conceded the big dog his bone. No one else better have a big night. The truth is that Bama had so few players that could defend him due to foul trouble he was a man left alone. And then, of course, was the officiating.

Riley Norris finished with a double-double. The Albertville native had 11 points and 14 boards. He was also the Alabama go to man on defense. It was Norris's defense on Thornwell in overtime number four that made a key difference in the game. AJ,jr. led Tide scoring with 23 points including 5-10 outside. Armond Davis played 39 minutes and scored 19 points. None was bigger than a corner three to bring the Tide back from the dead in overtime three. Hall played 39 minutes, Norris played 46 and AJjr. played 44 minutes. It was hard to believe that the Tide subs kept the game competitive and then ultimately won with Taylor, Ingram, and Key watching from the bench.

All in all, a signature win for Johnson. Even better it came after two poor games against Arkansas and Auburn. This game gives the Tide 14 wins. The Tide is going to need at least 18 for post season play. The Tide plays Kentucky this Saturday. They will not be favored. They will not be given no chance to win. Having seen the improbable I'm not discounting the impossible.

Tide throws up another weak effort.

   

 If you can´t shoot well you probably won´t win. If you don´t play defense on top of that, you will not win. Except for an exceptional rebounding effort, the Auburn Tigers might have beaten Alabama by 30. For a second time this season, the Tide was soundly stung by the Auburn Tigers. This time the score was 82-77. The Tide put together a last gasp effort, cut the score to a single basket. The Tide was forced to foul to get the ball back, and the Tigers coolly stepped to the line and knocked down their freebies. The Tide once again was abysmal from the line. The Tide was only was a miserable 13-22. You do the math. Bama may try to spin they were beaten late. They were beaten early, in the middle, and when you dig a hole as deep as a well in West Texas you get soundly whipped. The Tigers had an outstanding shooting night, take nothing away from those youngsters. They were on fire, and they were ready to shoot. They expected those shots to go in. Bama looked like they were throwing up prayers. Give the Tigers credit, they were ready to play from the tip. Bama stumbled and bumbled around but still was down only 41-39 at the half. In the second half, the roof collapsed on the Tide due to poor shooting and non-existence perimeter defense. It is clear that Bama has got to find some shooters.

Shooting problems continue...How bad can our perimeter defense be?

    The Tide threw up 32 three point shots despite having a clear advantage inside due to their height. Only 8 of those three point attempts went in. That is a not so sterling 25%. Okay, that is ridiculous but even more upsetting is the weak three point shooting defense put up by the Tide. Iḿ not a college coach, but you have to find them, get up close in their face, and raise an arm. Alabama´s defenders looked like front row spectators to a massacre. What always amazed me was how the Tigers were essentially dead inside and Bama still didn´t close up on them outside. Just as interesting was how the Tide defenders gave the Tigers free range from the perimeter and still couldn´t k play basketball. I think Arkansas is a better team than the Tide? Auburn is not better than Alabama. When you play your archrival on your home court and that is thtseason.